Pink Slips Travel Roundabout Route

Imagine that you opened your mail and found a note from your boss, written not to you but to your company's president. And the note recommended your firing.

That's how three reporters at WKIS-AM (740) discovered last week that they were on their way to the unemployment line.

The three -- Steve Biro, Max Johnson and Carolyn Devonshire -- also reported for the 55 radio stations affiliated with the Florida Network, which is based at WKIS.

Biro and Johnson worked in Orlando while Devonshire reported from the state capital in Tallahassee for the past four years.

WKIS program and news director Kay Barone wrote the six-page confidential memo to executives of the Susquehanna Broadcasting Co., which owns the station and the network.

The memo took a tough look at WKIS' programs and recommended, among other moves, the dismissal of Johnson, Biro and Devonshire.

But before Barone discussed those actions with the Susquehanna execs or the reporters, someone mailed copies of the memo to those reporters and everyone else on the WKIS staff.

Barone referred questions about the incident to Bob Poe, general manager of the Florida Network.

Poe said he and Barone had not made a final decision on the dismissals of the three reporters -- until the memo leaked out.

He had wanted Barone to work with the three to make improvements that she saw as necessary, said Poe. But after reading Barone's memo, the reporters were unlikely to feel confident about working again with WKIS management, he said.

''They were going to be looking over their shoulders,'' he said. ''I have to credit this phantom postman with the premature dismissals of three employees.''

Biro and Johnson left their jobs on Monday and Devonshire on Tuesday. Devonshire said her dismissal left her feeling ''battered, bewildered and surprised.'' Efforts to reach Biro and Johnson for comment were unsuccessful. Other WKIS reporters also have jumped from the Florida Network flagship in recent weeks, each for reasons unrelated to these firings.

Joe Finger resigned to join the news staff at WMMA (990). Frank Lasko accepted a job reporting for WSTF-FM (101.1). Casey Conerly moved to the public relations department of Sea World.

Each of the departed reporters, those who resigned as well as those who were dismissed, will be replaced, Poe said. Last week's firings were not a cost-cutting move, he said.

WKIS, with its news-talk format, still has the largest news staff among Orlando radio stations. At present, it includes 10 news announcers, two sports announcers and additional writers and producers, according to Poe.

However, in the days immediately following the firings, WKIS had no full- time replacement for Devonshire in Tallahassee, ordinarily one of the state's busiest news spots.

Lasko, who worked with Devonshire while he was still at WKIS, called her dismissal ''a big loss for the network.''

The news coverage of WKIS and the Florida Network will not be affected by the recent staff turnover, Poe said.

But others, like Lasko, disagreed. Lasko pointed out that almost half of WKIS' news staffers are recently hired replacements. ''Their styles are obviously going to be different,'' he said. ''The sound of the news at WKIS is going to be changing, that's for sure.''